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Asmosianism
Asmosianism refers to worship of the the Thirteenth Divine known as Asmos. Worship of Asmos is largely rejected throughout the rest of Erudite for his strange beliefs, but the people of Emsius took a following to him. Origins Asmosianism started as far back as the ancient period of Leir. A massive storm known as the Whirlwind suddenly appeared in Leir. The exact cause of it remains unknown, but the Leirians themselves believed it to be a punishment from the gods. 44,000 individuals were spared from Leir's destruction and were sent on an exodus to Emsius to start anew. According to legend, they believed that since the gods rejected them, they earned the sympathy of Asmos who was also outcast by the other gods - in the era during the creation of the world, Asmos was rejected by the other gods for his questionable actions towards mortals. Despite this, Asmos proved to be the last deity that could be trusted, and in an essence, was the one true god while all others were false. Over the years, many individuals known as Bargods appeared who were powerful mages who acquired god-like abilities, but those faithful to Asmos maintained their beliefs and turned down what they deemed as pretenders. As Emsius was a grim place of distrust and darkness, Asmos remained their one true hope. Beliefs One of the main reasons why Asmos is despised elsewhere in the world is the rejection of an afterlife. Asmosians believe that when someone dies they are taken to the realm of Asmos where they have two choices - to enter the Gate of Oblivion and have their soul removed from existence, or to return to the world as an eternal, restless spirit. The concept of an afterlife of eternal happiness is rejected as a facade by the other gods - the same ones that rejected Asmos. It is believed that one is more likely to choose the Gate of Oblivion as their fate when they come to terms with their death. It has become a key part of one's life to accept the grim world for its imperfections, lest they never find inner peace and rest. Suicide is considered the cardinal sin - it is believed that upon taking one's own life, they are forced to relive the same few seconds before their death for all eternity, being forever trapped in a state of utter misery and emotional torture. It is prophesied that in the final calendar year of Asmos, the gods will send the Whirlwind once more, but this time it will destroy the world. It is generally taught that one should come to terms with this fate to avoid their souls being stranded in the ether. Worship Asmos is not worshiped in the modern day. In fact, the nation of Arguros has outlawed any sort of worship to even go as far as forbidding the construction of churches. Instead, Asmos is merely seen as a teacher or guide, and that he, too, is susceptible to his own teachings. When creation ends, it is believed that even Asmos himself will eventually choose to enter the Gate of Oblivion to remove himself from existence. The earliest versions of Asmosianism do in fact involve vehement worship of the god - and the practice is still very prominent in nations such as the New Leir Empire and Govadia. They refer to Asmos as the Lord of Nothing or Lord of the Void. They see Asmos as the supreme god who will eventually send all of the false gods through the Gate of Oblivion to erase them from existence entirely. Naturally, these sects get into conflict over the nature of Asmos, but despite this, both share a similar favor over a finite existence over an eternal afterlife. Elsewhere in the world, Asmos is generally viewed as evil and most pantheons do not even acknowledge that he exists. For example, Polvorans tend to believe that a god of nothingness may as well be forgotten, criticizing it as nihilistic. However, theologians have generally came to the consensus that Emsius' odd worship of Asmos is due to their unusual circumstances. While most locations in Erudite had positive upbringings regarding the gods, Emsius had an extremely negative view due to the mysterious presence of the Whirlwind. Category:Religions Category:Articles by User:Krayfish